Integrated Crop and Grassland Systems Analysis and Assessment

Food security, economic development, biodiversity preservation, water availability and quality, climate change, meaningful livelihoods and vibrant rural communities are all intimately connected to the design and management of cropping systems. Agricultural systems analysis and modelling aid in evaluating tradeoffs between what are often competing interests and demands. However, for modelling studies to be useful in decision support settings around sustainable design and management of cropping systems, they must simultaneously consider a range of system drivers and aspects, integrating knowledge from economics, crop science, decision making, and relevant environmental disciplines (e.g. soil science, biodiversity, hydrology, etc). The goal of the working group Integrated Crop System Analysis and Modelling (ICASA) is to develop and improve methodologies for the integration of information across disciplines and methodological approaches to support the development of resilience cropping systems that contribute to more sustainable and just food systems.